News Post

Whatever Happened to the Good Times?

09:20 AM - August 14, 2007 by Steve_OS

Terry Crouch has just posted an article entitled, Whatever Happened to the Good Times? Make sure you give it a read and let us know how you feel about it.

"For those of us old enough to remember, gaming as a kid in the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 days was nothing but fun. Whether it was Pitfall or Real Sports Football, Circus Atari…you name it, it was really fun to fire up a console and cut loose a bit. Early versions of football on ColecoVision were simply small sprites on a green screen, but somehow they brought the game alive because you were actually controlling something that you couldn’t hope to do in your own life. The Nintendo Entertainment System really ushered in a whole new era in gaming, and games like Tecmo Super Bowl and Baseball Stars will forever live on as milestones in gaming, particularly sports gaming, because one included real players and teams, while the other included features that were so far ahead of their time, it was ridiculous."

Member Comments

# 1 Steve_OS @ 08/14/07 09:22 AM

I remember not being able to sleep at night after calling Electronic Arts every few hours to see when my Genesis Madden would finally show up. I waited for that UPS man on the front porch in agony. When it finally showed up, I unwrapped it and actually read the manual from front to back and played non-stop for god knows how long. It was "FUN", no question about it.

Fun to me was playing 10 Yard Fight or Real Sports Football and creating my own stats sheet.

# 2 ExtremeGamer @ 08/14/07 09:28 AM

I used to play the Genesis Madden's with a note book next to me and a copy of a NFL preview mag for the player names. Since the old Madden's didn't have real teams or real players, it did have real numbers. I'd keep all my stats in the notebook, and play every single game of a NFL season. I think it only had playoffs, so I just did a bunch of exhibition games. Kept my stats and finished that season. Never had so much fun.

# 3 Bacardi151 @ 08/14/07 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtremeGamer


	I used to play the Genesis Madden's with a note book next to me and a copy of a NFL preview mag for the player names. Since the old Madden's didn't have real teams or real players, it did have real numbers. I'd keep all my stats in the notebook, and play every single game of a NFL season. I think it only had playoffs, so I just did a bunch of exhibition games. Kept my stats and finished that season. Never had so much fun.

did that for every sports game i would get my hands on. Some stats were more detailed than others.

I remember doing it for tecmo bowl, bases loaded, and first genesis madden.

Good times...

Great article Terry

# 4 JohnDoe8865 @ 08/14/07 10:15 AM

TCrouch you couldn't be more on the money with your article. Fun is what is really missing these days in gaming, atleast for me. I never get that kind of fun out of the new games now, maybe because they are so expensive, hardware concerns, internet previews/reviews, etc. But every once in a while, I get a bit of that feeling back - like when I first fired up NCAA on 360 this year. I was having awesome fun at that point ... and honestly every other game I've bought for the 360 so far I have not been able to "get into it" really.

I think maybe back in the day when you had to use your imagination (like writing out your own stats), things were as fun as you wanted them to be. Now we all know the technology, developer, etc. behind our games and we can critique EVERYTHING.

# 5 ComaFaction @ 08/14/07 10:48 AM

I used to play full seasons on paper with NHLPA '93. I would keep my teams stats and also, the scores that showed the highlights between periods would count toward the standings.

Did the same thing with Roger Clemens Baseball for NES.

# 6 born_bad @ 08/14/07 10:49 AM

I think that because the graphics have progressed so far in the past 20 years (I started out with an Atari 2600), people assume things like AI have, too. The games *look* so real now that people expect them to play realistic, which just isn't possible (for reasons mentioned). When you see a baseball game that looks as amazing as MLB2k7, for example, you kind of expect the way the game plays to be as realistic as the way it looks, which isn't the case.

I do try to keep these things in mind and enjoy my games. I don't nit-pick over little things. I actually had fun with Madden 07 for the 360. I don't buy a ton of games; I tend to stick to games that I know I'll play for more than a month or 2. I think people buy so many games now that they make quick judgments and then move on. It's not like back in the day when I could only get a few games a year and then played the hell out of them.

# 7 bukktown @ 08/14/07 11:26 AM

I remember 88-92 being like a golden age for video gaming for me. I attribute it more to the fact that I was 8-13 yrs old during that time and genesis came out with these cool ea sports games like lakers vs. celtics. I am guessing that 8-13 yr old kids will feel the same nostalgia for our current video game era 20 years from now.

# 8 fossen @ 08/14/07 11:35 AM

I think it's us, not the games or the internet.

My nephews give me perspective. A nephew was staying with me, and noticed Madden. He asked about it, then talked about how much he loved Madden.

His version was a few years old, on the Gamecube. His favorite team is the Seahawks, and favorite player was Marshall Faulk. So he'd always trade for Faulk, and create himself and his brother (maxxed out, of course). Then he'd try to get Marshall 300 rushing yards a game.

....

He had a blast because he was treating it as what it is: a toy, a game, a disc of fun.

# 9 boomhauertjs @ 08/14/07 11:40 AM

Probably as we enter the "real world" as we get older, we expect our games to follow us into that reality. It's too bad that we can't stay kids forever.

I kept stats for Real Sports Baseball on Atari 2600. I made up teams and players (though their names were very similar to the 86 Indians) and kept stats for them on yellow legal pads. I'm sure the stats weren't "realistic", but I didn't care. I just had fun doing it.

# 10 drae2 @ 08/14/07 12:36 PM

Man, the good times. I remember back in 1993 when NFL94 dropped on the Genesis. Me and my girlfriend at the time drove 2 hours just so I could get the game because it was sold out everywhere I went. So I called this Funcoland out past Dekalb, Il (I live in the city of Chi), they had it, and we went and got it. Played it all night literally, and most of the morning before finally going to sleep. Those were the good times man.

# 11 TCrouch @ 08/14/07 01:02 PM

How could I not mention NHL on the Genesis? What a huge oversight. I didn't even know hockey existed until I got my hands on NHL.

But Joe Montana Sports Talk Football will be something that lives on in infamy with my mom until her dying day. From time to time she'll come over and catch me playing a football game nowadays and she'll still look and go:

"Wow...these things have come a long way since "better...hurry".

I can't even recall how many times I heard that. But even way back then, it had something that so many games seemed to lack; breakaway speed and "if you get beaten there's no hope of making a play". It was just fun to see this gorgeous rainbow pass drop in magically to a receiver in the side camera who would then proceed to race away from the defense. It was never easy to complete, but man that game stole some serious play time from me. Once it shifted to some of the vertical scrolling it lost the luster for me, but the initial sports talk football really did it for me.

# 12 nyisles16 @ 08/14/07 01:18 PM

still got my Genesis with all the goodies.. you hit it right on the head T.. I think that since the world got "smaller" (ie internet, xbox live), the games are expected to be the most realistic games of all time.. I can remember the days of sitting with my bud playing many games of Atari Baseball (the one with just red & blue teams), seeing how many runs we could score.. then came Bases Loaded & Baseball Stars.. Even this extended into my college years , just having the bunch of us having tourneys in the suite room for "bragging rights", or more important, who would be buying the first couple of rounds that night.. I miss those days, where I couldn't care less if this uni was off, or that guy was wearing wrong spikes..

The other issue that took us away from the carefree days are the "fanboys" of a certain product (as far as myself, I buy what I myself deem is good).. By always touting how good something is, most people will listen to what the fanboys have to say.. then after playing, when it doesn't turn out to be the next pot of gold, all the cries come out saying what is wrong with it - & then the expectations & hope that the next version will be better

Man, now I gotta break out some of my Strat-O-Matic games..

# 13 KG @ 08/14/07 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bacardi151


	did that for every sports game i would get my hands on. Some stats were more detailed than others. I remember doing it for tecmo bowl, bases loaded, and first genesis madden. Good times... Great article Terry

Bases Loaded 2 was my favorite game back then. I would keep all of my stats and even played a full season once. Man, I used to hate the DC team with all of the President pitchers and their crazy side-arm delivery. I always struggled vs the side-armers.

# 14 Bacardi151 @ 08/14/07 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgx2thez


	Bases Loaded 2 was my favorite game back then. I would keep all of my stats and even played a full season once. Man, I used to hate the DC team with all of the President pitchers and their crazy side-arm delivery. I always struggled vs the side-armers.

bases loaded was the only baseball game where i played an entire season just to see the ending. not the greatest ending, but i was pretty satisfied.

could have been because of two reason: 1 i was a poor kid who was broke as hell, so i would destroy any game i got my hands on, playing over and over till the next game was picked up months down the line, and 2) we had a greater imagination cause of age and the fact the wasnt as realistic as today.

I go back to harping on the uncanny valley phenomenon, which i think is a big reason why us gamers are so jaded today.

# 15 ldpart67 @ 08/14/07 02:57 PM

I remember Bases Baseball actually having REAL Cities ( nevermind not real teams or players) and when you threw at the batter it would start fight. Between that and Blades of Steel on my NES I lost countless hours of sleep.. definately 10 on the fun scale

# 16 whosgotcha @ 08/14/07 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swill43507


	GREAT ARTICLE!!! LOL!! I grew up with Coleco Vision Football and at the time, It was the greatest thing I ever played!-LOL!! You had these huge *** controlers that looked like boxing gloves and anytime you had to run or throw the ball you had to spin this dial. And to me and my cousins this was like the greatest thing in the entire world. I use to use my imagination that my teams was the Chargers and my Cousin's team was the Dolphins. And although the little digital men on the screen had no uniforms, our imagination made the game come alive, as if they were the Dolphins and Chargers. And it might seem crazy but those days were sometimes much fun than these days of Madden and 2k. But back in the 80's video game technogoly was so basic and so limited that you were happy with whatever you got, especially when it came to sports games. Today however, you have better technology, more choices of consoles, NFL licensing, internet,internet play and downloads, message boards, review,,..etc... So the expectations are 100 times higher for a better game experience.

Coleco Vision was it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

# 17 mgoblue @ 08/14/07 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fossen


	I think it's us, not the games or the internet. My nephews give me perspective. A nephew was staying with me, and noticed Madden. He asked about it, then talked about how much he loved Madden. His version was a few years old, on the Gamecube. His favorite team is the Seahawks, and favorite player was Marshall Faulk. So he'd always trade for Faulk, and create himself and his brother (maxxed out, of course). Then he'd try to get Marshall 300 rushing yards a game. .... He had a blast because he was treating it as what it is: a toy, a game, a disc of fun.

That's a very good point...in my Campus Legend on NCAA I'm a WR, and I've had so much fun running my routes, calling for the ball nearly every pass, and trying to get as many yards and TD's as I can. Doesn't always work, but in the game I'm the ultimate TO, I love me some me. Sure, it's "cheese" and "not realistic" but boy do I have fun playing it.

I suppose now I start to wonder if games are ever going to get so hard where they're not fun. I enjoy the mental aspect of football, but will defensive AI get so good that in order to have a chance of winning you have to watch imaginary game tape, learn the various defenses and all the weaknesses/tendencies, so you know where to pass and run? I really hope we don't reach the point where it moves from "fun" to "work"

# 18 Bacardi151 @ 08/14/07 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgoblue


	That's a very good point...in my Campus Legend on NCAA I'm a WR, and I've had so much fun running my routes, calling for the ball nearly every pass, and trying to get as many yards and TD's as I can. Doesn't always work, but in the game I'm the ultimate TO, I love me some me. Sure, it's "cheese" and "not realistic" but boy do I have fun playing it. I suppose now I start to wonder if games are ever going to get so hard where they're not fun. I enjoy the mental aspect of football, but will defensive AI get so good that in order to have a chance of winning you have to watch imaginary game tape, learn the various defenses and all the weaknesses/tendencies, so you know where to pass and run? I really hope we don't reach the point where it moves from "fun" to "work"

they day games are no longer fun and become work, is the day i stop being a gamer.

# 19 VanCitySportsGuy @ 08/14/07 05:17 PM

Ahh the good ol days.........

If there was no such thing as the internet, the majority of people probably wouldn't notice a lot of the game bugs.

I had no idea there was a lefty hitting game bug in MVP 2004 until I saw it on the message boards on this site.

I feel like there's a certain segment of gamers out there that like to "QA test the games" instead of just playing them for fun.

Besides the internet/fanboys, another reason people are more critical is because they are most likely buying the games with their own money instead of Mommy and Daddy giving them cash when they were kids/teenagers/studnets.

Ironically sliders may also hurt the enjoyment of games. How many people have spent a lot of time adjusting sliders in games until you're happy with the product? I know I have. Heck there are slider forums.

# 20 mercalnd @ 08/14/07 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asianflow


	Ironically sliders may also hurt the enjoyment of games. How many people have spent a lot of time adjusting sliders in games until you're happy with the product? I know I have. Heck there are slider forums.

That a really good point. We used to accept the games as they were or move on but now it seems many of us try to tweak to end to get the perfect or most realistic game.

Some guys start tweaking sliders the very first day they have a game, not even taking the time to get used to the new game. They start with the premise that they are good "insert game level here" players and start tweaking right away. They want to achieve results that are in line with the real life averages and for many obtaining those realistic stats seems to be more important than getting a fun and challenging game.

How many times has the slider work to fix a specific issue created a few more issues that didn't exist before? your guess is as good as mine but I'm pretty sure it happens every time.

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